The beach was named as the overall state winner at yesterday’s Sydney Water Clean Beaches Connecting our Coast awards.

Husky beach also received a Highly Commended in the Litter and Waste Management category.

Chairperson of the Huskisson and Woollamia Community Voice Garry Kelson said it was a proud day for the community.

He said it was important to acknowledge the local litter busters like Paul Sutton and John Hives who work hard to make sure beaches like Huskisson Beach were not trashed.

“The award is an acknowledgement of our unsung heroes,” he said.

“They take a lot of care cleaning our beaches on a day to day basis.”

The Huskisson and Community Voice and other community members started their submission in September this year.

Mr Kelson said in the end Huskisson Beach won because of its sheer beauty and he wants others to now help keep the beach clean.

“Instead of walking past a piece of rubbish we would like to see people picking the litter up and putting it in the bin,” he said.

“Putting rubbish in the bin could become infectious if people see others doing it.”

NSW Environment Minister Robyn Parker said the local award was well deserved.

“Local community groups and Shoalhaven City Council demonstrated outstanding community participation and pride in maintaining the pristine environment of Huskisson Beach for tourists and locals to enjoy,” she said.

Mr Kelson said the next step was to make sure some commercial value came from the award.

He said he would work with the local tourism association to make sure the Jervis Bay economy got some commercial benefits from the accolade.